While OTAs did not leave Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the best feeling about second-year cornerback Benjamin Morrison, there is still reason to buy into the breakout. Eva Geitheim of Sports Illustrated noted that the Bucs are not concerned with the injury scare and that Morrison is still a breakout player to watch entering the 2026 season.
“Corner Benjamin Morrison could be in for a larger role in the Buccaneers’ secondary after the departure of Jamel Dean,” wrote Geitheim. “The 2025 second-round pick appeared in 10 games while starting three, and notched 26 total tackles and four pass breakups.”
While the injury news is the biggest report to come out of OTAs, another report about his potential usage could be valuable to know, as it could lend to Morrison breaking out.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Have a Plan for Benjamin Morrison to Breakout
GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison.
While it might sound backwards at first, the Bucs’ best plan to get the most out of Morrison is to take him off the field at times. This is what they have planned to do in OTAs. Right now, second-year cornerback Jacob Parrish has been working on the outside.
He started in the slot last year and noted that his slot role will not be going away. However, they want to add work for him on the outside. Since he has already looked strong in the slot, he is spending more time this summer becoming a player who can play both.
Last year, Parrish would come off the field in two cornerback looks. Now, he will slide from the slot to the outside. Morrison will be the one who comes off the field.
When the Bucs need to shift into the nickel, they bring Morrison back on the field, and Parrish will shift into the slot.
This sounds like Parrish is the breakout player and Morrison is being demoted. However, it could end up bringing the best out of Morrison.
He is known as a strong player when he is healthy. Morrison just cannot stay healthy enough. Now that he is able to see the field but not put in a full workload, he could give the Bucs the best of his ability.
Buccaneers Need a Defensive Improvement in 2026
Whether it be Morrison excelling in his new role or Parrish taking on more work, the Bucs need their second-year defenders to take steps forward. The team also needs the rookies Ruben Bain and Josiah Trotter to put in impressive workloads earlier than expected as well.
Tampa Bay is facing a make-or-break moment when it comes to its head coach, Todd Bowles. Bowles is known as a defensive-minded head coach. While the offense taking a step back was the reason for the Bucs’ fall from the playoffs last year, the defense has not been good enough over the past couple of seasons to ensure Bowles keeps his job.
If the Bucs struggle on defense this year, it is going to be hard to justify keeping Bowles around.
So, the team is going all-in on showcasing the young talents that they just added. The team also added veteran leaders such as Alex Anzalone, Christian Rozeboom, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, and A’Shawn Robinson. The defense cannot be the reason that the Bucs fail this year. Morrison will be a key reason why.
Buccaneers Have Surprising Plan for Breakout Defender